5 Career Tips That Sound Smart but Cost You Thousands in Underpayment
With the past five years characterized by high inflation rates and a skyrocketing cost of living, it’s no wonder more employees are open to changing jobs. We’re living in a time when both workers and employers have less loyalty to each other and one where corporate indifference, layoffs, remote work demands and quiet quitting remain prevalent in the workplace.
Employers need to start giving their workers reasons to stay. However, workers need to advocate for themselves and that means ditching outdated advice.
Here are five common career recommendations that sound smart but will keep you poorly paid.
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1. Just Work Hard and You’ll Get Noticed
In the past, if you were a good worker, you would get recognized, promoted and supported. Now, you need to be likeable and memorable or you’ll fly under the radar, according to Jeff Shannon, author of “Hard Work is Not Enough: The Surprising Truth About Being Believable at Work.”
“If you want to have impact and influence, people need to trust and believe in you, the same way they do a [political] candidate they support” he told the BBC. You have to make people notice your work and draw attention to yourself through career maintenance. This means networking, paying attention to your colleagues and connecting on levels outside of work.
2. Asking for a Raise Is Unprofessional
Your work should make a case for a raise, not your desire to make more money or even the fact that you’ve been working for the company for a long time. It’s not easy to ask for an increase in pay. Anxiety over rejection, a lack of confidence or negotiating skills and the fear of retribution can stop any promotion hopeful in their tracks.
To get what you want, you’re going to have to lose the jitters. Arrange a meeting, present your case with specific contributions and suggest a figure that is reasonably higher than your current salary (have you ever heard of someone getting a 50% raise?). "No" will be the worst possible result, but it's better than saying nothing at all.
3. Job Hopping Looks Bad on Your Resume
If the pandemic and subsequent tight labor market have taught us anything, it was that more people than ever view their jobs are temporary. A 2025 study by the Bank of America found that pay increases from new employers are shrinking for job hoppers down to 7% from their 2022 peak of 20%, recently returning to par with raises for those who stay at one company.
You shouldn’t feel guilty about taking a job that will accelerate career growth, give freedom or increase salary, regardless of tenure. The pandemic changed the perception people have of their job and many workers don’t want to stay with a company for decades. They want meaningful work and career advancement.
Bottom line: It still pays to explore options if you’re undervalued at your current job, but you now risk the stigma of job hopping for comparable gains.
4. Do What You Love and the Money Will Follow
Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford University commencement speech is littered with concepts of value, trust, faith and passion.
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work,” said Jobs. “And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking — and don’t settle.”
Of course Jobs was right — passion is important — but it does not ensure financial success. Without knowing what you’re truly passionate about, lacking a passion that would be suitable for a career or having no monetizing strategies, following your passion can lead to low pay and financial stress. As with most things in life, it’s better to seek balance and focus on the bigger picture of whole-life happiness.
5. Just Get Your Foot in the Door
Not every work experience is worth the same. Early on, it can be beneficial to start anyplace, but if you stay in a role that isn't aligned with your goals, it could hurt your career just as it’s starting. It’s better to build high-value, transferable skills.
“[T]he truth is, by not setting yourself up from the beginning to choose the right roles you are likely missing out on potentially thousands of dollars' worth of income," wrote career coach Natalie Fisher, "and you could get stuck in a position where there’s no room for you to grow because you’re just doing so well where you are.”
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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